Asthma treatment, care still expensive

Gugulethu Nyazema, Zimbabwe
(First published in Daily News, Zimbabwe on 7th May 2013): ASTHMA is one of the most common chronic diseases and it is largely treated as private health matter not warranting public attention, said a local health expert, Manikai Nyandoro a local doctor said that asthma is slowing becoming prevalent among children and the chronic disease is treated mostly on an emergency basis. “The percentage of children reported for asthma has been increasing significantly. It is very much linked to the fact that they were not aware of these asthmatic conditions,” he said.

People with diabetes more prone to TB

Gugulethu Nyazema, Zimbabwe
(First published in Daily News, Zimbabwe on 25th March 2013): People with diabetes are 2,5 times more likely to develop tuberculosis (TB), according to an international study. The International Diabetes Federation revealed there was a study that showed that people with diabetes are at higher risk of developing TB than those without diabetes. According to the Zimbabwe Diabetes Associations, close to 40 percent of the Zimbabwean population is diabetic.

TB survivors speak out

Photo credit: Aliwassa - CNS

Gugulethu Nyazema, Zimbabwe 
(First published in Daily News, Zimbabwe on 24th March 2013): HARARE - Leonard*(not his real name), only had an appetite for alcohol and cigarettes. As he wasted away, he continued going to the bar, with his sagging pants threatening to expose his rear. A man in his late 30s, Leonard called binge drinking his career. He continued to drink even after being diagnosed with Tuberculosis (TB) in 2005. “Drinking is my career and I love my alcohol but I had to quit my career, in order to regain my health,” he said.

Smoke exposure fatal for women

Gugulethu Nyazema, Zimbabwe
(First published in Daily News, Zimbabwe on 13th March 2013): Zimbabwean women are suffering health risks arising from being exposed to indoor smoke. But the problem is not unique to Zimbabwe: nearly three billion people, most living in low-income countries, rely on solid fuel for cooking, lighting and heating. Health experts said the great challenge is that Zimbabweans are unaware of the problem, making them more vulnerable to it. “The diseases that women get from the smoke exposure occur only after many years of and this means that they are unlikely to make the connection between exposure and the disease,” local doctor Manikai Nyandoro said. Nyandoro said that the best way to inform people and engage them for change is to select “change agents” in the community who are affected by the problem.